10 of the Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers, According to Caffeine Enthusiasts- VERSION 2
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It’s no secret that cold brew coffee has a special place in our hearts. And no, we're not just talking about pouring our favorite blends over a few cubes of nugget ice (which is absolutely a delicious summer treat on its own). Cold brew coffee is a little more in-depth, since it involves steeping coffee grounds in cold water for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours and straining them to make a concentrate that can be mixed with additional water, creamer or other flavor add-ons.
Unlike traditional hot brewing methods, which use heat to extract flavors quickly, cold brew takes its sweet time extracting the coffee's essence, making for a more full-bodied texture with a slightly sweeter flavor. If it all of that sounds intimidating, fear not: It *is* possible to make a barista-worthy cold brew at home. In the case of the fancy Bruvi ($348), you can (sort of) even do it in minutes. Ready to start DIY-ing your daily caffeine hit? Read on to discover the ten best at-home cold brew coffee makers, according to caffeine enthusiasts.
The Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers at a Glance
How We Chose the Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers
We chose these machines based on our personal experiences with several of the brewers as well as deep dives into the customer reviews of others. While choosing our list, we considered ease machine's functionality, brewing type, cost, size and quality/durability, too.
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1. OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker
A favorite of Senior Food Editor, Katherine Gillen, this manual option got a near-perfect score in our PureWow 100 review for its ability to make what Gillen called a strong, "smooth, mellow and rich blend" with hardly any effort. “The tool itself has measurements on it, so you don’t even need to read instructions before whipping up a batch," she wrote.
Gillen is also a fan of its compact size. "It’s a smaller version of the original OXO cold brew coffee maker, so it’s ideal for my tiny apartment,” she wrote, noting that her favorite part—aside from the delicious coffee, of course—is that all the pieces come apart, so cleaning it is a breeze.
2. Cuisinart DCB-10P1 Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Reviewers agree that this cold brew maker is extremely easy to use, quiet and dependable. Its hybrid immersion process, which is partly manual and partly automated, is key to getting great flavor out of it, as one Amazon shopper explained: “After years of making my own brew I watched this maker hit all of the key elements of getting all of the flavor out of coffee,” they wrote. “The coffee grounds were always submersed in the cold water. The coffee holder spins while brewing to move the grounds around. There are multiple options for brew strength (I am always a solid bold)." It's also super quick: Thanks to its electric components, which spin the coffee to hasten its brewing process, you can have your cold brew in as little as 25 to 45 minutes, depending on your strength preference. (Choose from mild, medium or bold.) Check it out in action here.
3. KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker
While KitchenAid’s cold brew coffee maker is still a manual model, meaning you'll have to fill it with coffee grounds and cold water and steep it overnight, it's got some niceties other models don't. (And honestly, would you expect anything less from KitchenAid?) For one thing, there's a handy tap to make pouring a dream. The gadget's body is made of a classic stainless steel with super sturdy, thick glass reservoir, and the whole thing will fit in the fridge to cool your brew overnight and keep it fresh for up to two weeks. “I bought the Kitchenaid cold brew after on-and-off trials of making cold brew coffee,” wrote one fan. “It’s the smoothest cup of coffee you can drink! Thank you, KitchenAid for adding the pour spout that makes everything easier.”
4. Takeya Tritan Cold Brew Coffee Maker
For a no-fuss, all-in-one cold-brew maker and carafe system, you can’t go wrong with Takeya’s BPA-free Tritan pitcher. Despite its simplicity (as a manual immersion model, it requires only that you add your ground coffee, add water and refrigerate), Amazon shoppers say it produces the "best coffee" they've have ever had. The secret lies in its ultra-fine mesh filter, which keeps grounds from sneaking into your cuppa. The carafe, meanwhile, is reportedly leakproof, shatterproof and a breeze to use. "It's beyond easy to brew a batch that lasts more than a week," one buyer wrote.
5. Bruvi Single-Serve Cold Brew Coffee Maker
The Bruvi BV-01 brewer isn’t just a sight for sore eyes: It has a specific cold brew function that dispenses a coffee base at a lower temperature, meaning less ice melting (and therefore, less dilution). When we reviewed this machine, our Associate Food Editor Taryn Pire found that while those who drink cold brew exclusively may find other machines more practical, this one's cold brew option—one of seven drink settings it offers—is a super convenient feature for those who drink their java multiple ways (hot, espresso, ect.), as well as for those who might not have the forethought to steep their grounds overnight. "It also helps that [you] can just throw the pods away... thanks to [the] special pod that allows these to degrade in a landfill," one fan pointed out.
6. Bodum Chambord French Press
We're going to let you in on a secret: You can make cold brew in your French press. Word on the street is that you need only let your beans and water steep inside the included carafe in the fridge for roughly 15 hours before plunging it for the perfect cup of cold brew. Brilliant! Bodum remains the gold-standard for French presses, and this Chambord style is a favorite. “I have never had an amazing cup of coffee before I bought this; I thought I had, but I was very wrong,” one enthusiastic buyer wrote. Available in three sizes (12 ounces, 34 ounces or 51 ounces), you can choose the one that best suits your needs. This gadget is also incredibly easy to clean, since you can pop it right into the dishwasher,
7. The Original Royal Brew Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker
If you really want to up your at-home cold brew game, get yourself this nitrogen-powered mini tap. It starts out like the other models on this list—you'll steep 48 ounces of a medium-coarse brew in water for roughly 24 hours and filter it. Afterward, however, you'll put the finished result inside the Royal Brew, which works with two nitrogen cartridges (sold separately, from $15), to give your drink that sweet, chilly froth you'd find at Starbucks. “It really was as easy as they said,“ one Amazon shopper assured “I've had nitro cold brew almost every day since I got it. ... In the end, it's the mouthfeel of those tiny nitrogen bubbles that give credence to your glass!”
8. Cold Bruer B1 Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Slow-drip cold brew is said to be some of the cleanest, most complex tasting you can make, and Cold Bruer makes a machine that will give you just that. Designed with an adjustable drip mechanism that's meant to help to control the speed, it takes a bit more effort than your run-of-the-mill immersion maker—shoppers say it works just fine, but needs to be set up just right—but that the results are well worth it. Wrote one: “Everything about this is easy to use and follow along with. Coffee goes here, filter goes here, water goes here...This is a very well-made product that works incredibly well for a beautiful cup of cold brew.”
9. Mr. Coffee Iced Coffee Maker
If you're not the type to fuss about with your kitchen gadgets, this little Mr. Coffee cutie is about as simple as it gets. The coffee comes out hot, and it's not steeped, so technically, it's not for cold brew, but it's a perfect alternative for those who want cold coffee, fast—like four minutes or less fast. Just fill the included clear reusable tumbler with ice, set it and forget it. Like the Bruvi, it's brewed at a more concentrated level that means it won't get too watered down with ice. Unlike the Bruvi, however, it only makes iced coffee and comes at a much lower price point. “This is just what I was looking for,” wrote one happy buyer. “It cuts down the spending on expensive coffee shops and I can have the same quality at home.”
A pro tip? Other reviewers love that their beloved Starbucks tumblers also fit the space, so they can take your four-minute cold brew anywhere.
10. Dash Rapid Cold Brew Coffee Maker
OK, OK, so this one's not exactly *instant,* but it is quick. The Dash will have your cold brew ready in as little as nine minutes, thanks to its "one-of-a-kind" pressurized brewing process that reportedly extracts flavor from the grounds quickly—this according to the brand. You can choose the coffee strength you want (mild, regular and bold), and buyers say it can be used right out of the box. “This is seriously one of the coolest items to have," wrote one. "Plug it in, add water and choose which type of coffee setting you want to use. I started off with the regular setting, it was absolutely delicious. It doesn't take up too much room on the counter and it is easy to clean."
What Is the Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker?
A great cold brew machine should be easy to use, make a delicious beverage and be durable enough to keep up with your caffeine needs. For us, the cold-brew coffee maker that checks all the boxes for us was the OXO Brew compact cold brew coffee maker ($27). It’s not only a favorite of PureWow Senior Food Editor Katherine Gillen, but Amazon reviewers love its ease of use, compact size, and, most importantly, the flavor of its immersion cold brew. If you’ve got the money to spend, the Bruvi, which has a cold brew option that dispenses liquid at a lower-than-normal temperature, is also an excellent choice. (It’ll be extra worth it if you like to switch between cold and hot brews.)
How to Use a Cold Brew Coffee Maker
There are a few different ways a cold brew coffee maker can work its magic: by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours in a method known as manual immersion; by using electricity to shorten the immersion steeping time; or via a slow-drip.
There are also several instant cold coffee machines, though these will typically dispense hot coffee concentrate that then gets poured over ice.
Here’s how to use each of the different types of brewers.
What Coffee Grounds to Use in a Cold-Brew Machine
For the best cold brew results, grinding your own medium- or dark-roast whole beans to a medium-to-coarse texture is ideal. (Coarser grounds will make the filtration process easier and help to ensure that your cold brew isn’t too bitter.)
If you don’t have a grinder ($195), not to worry: Pre-ground coffee will work, it just might need a stir and some additional filtering when you’re done steeping.
How Much Coffee to Put in a Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
How much coffee to put in a cold-brew coffee maker will depend on the size of your device as well as your taste preferences. According to Food 52, a good place to start is by grinding a 3/4 cup of coffee beans for every 4 cups of cold water.
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